The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-09-16
THE FORGED CHECK.
How Charley Stanford's Innocence
Was Proven.

'" ~~D = = - 49,"
Charley Stanford and I were en-
gagged to be married. That might or
might not have been the reason why l
refused to believe him guilty of the
crime of forgery, of which he stood ac-
cused, and for the commission of which
he was lying in prison awaiting trial.
1 did not believe in his guilt, but l
seemed the only one to have doubted,
and l was but a poor seamstres with
neither money nor influence; so it was
likely to go hard with Charley Stan
ford.
was so poor that 1 could not spare
a day from labor to comfort him. l
managed to send him word that | be-
lieved in his innocence. 1t was all
could do, and then | went to Mr. La
mont's to fulfill an engagement for
work. l went out by the day or week,
and Mrs. Lamont, though Il rich lady,
was not above the economy of employ
ing me.
l don't know that it would have
made any difference to her if she had
known that L was engaged to Charley
Stanford; but she did not know it, and
it was her husbands name that my
unfortunate lover was accused of
forging.
Mrs. Lamont had never heard of me;
but had heard of her, when she was
not the grand lady she was now.
She was Miss Ryerson before her
marriage, and Mr.. Lamont and Charley
had lodged with her mother. Mr.. La
mont, though a wealthy man, was
plain man, and did not scorn the fare
that was good enough for his clerk.
1 may as well explain here that
Charley was the son of an old friend of
Mr.. Lamont's, and that the merchant
had had taken fancy to him, which
was likely to be of great advantage to
him, when this unlucky charge was
made, which it seemed more than prob
able would shipwreck name, fame and
prospects.
l often heard Charley mention Miss
Ryerson, who was a snowy, handsome
girl, but he never spoke as though he
liked her, and / moro than guessed
that it was her fault if he did not.
Charley was very fine looking
what we women call splendid looking
fellow; and though he never said as
much to me Che was too honorable and
delicate), I think that in those days
Miss Ryerson liked the merchants
clerk a great deal better than she liked
the merchant.
Mr.. Lamont, on the contrary, con-
ceived a violent passion for Miss Ryer-
son, and she married him, for the sake
of his money, of course.
Thus much of Charley's relations
with the Lannon'S.
He could have nothing to gain in
committing such a crime-nothing
that is, compared to what he ran the
risk of losing through discovery. Yet
the evidence against him was powerful
enough to convince of his guilt man
who would naturally be reluctant to
believe such a thing of him; and un-
less some unlocked for event occurred
to disprOve that evidence, it must con-
vict him in court of justice.
The forged check had been presented
at the bank and cashed just before
banking hours were over, and the
cashier could tell nothing as to who
presented it, beyond general impress
sion that it was a young man, with
heavy black whiskers and mustache
like Charley. In short. being accus-
toned to cash Mr.. Lamont's drafts
through Charley, he had not observed
but that it was he who presented this
one; but could not swear either way.
The forged check bore about as
strong a resemblance to Charley's
hand as to Mr. Lamont's, when you
looked a second time; and Mrs. Lamont
produced something the housemaid had
found in Charley's room, some torn
sheets Of paper. scrawled over and over,
with Mr.. Lamont's name written upon,
Just as it was on the forged check.
They found more of such specimens in
Charley's trunk, and a roll of bank
notes, which Charley denied all knowl-
edge of, as well as the sheets of paper
with Mr.. Lamont's name on them.
had plenty to think of while / sat
there in Mrs. Lamont's back parlor,
sewing; and sometimes of an evening
Mr.. Lamont came in and sat talking
over Charley's case with his wife, so
TO Charley, that I could scarcely bear
It I noticed in these talks that Mr..
Lamont leant towards Charley with
some kindness still, and would have
explained the things against him
if he could but his wife took
an entirely opposite view Of the matter,
and, could see, influenced her husband
by her representations. She laughed
scornfully at the supposition that
Charley was. after all, innocent She
told her husband he had been shame
fully deceived and imposed upon by
my brave. upright lover; that she had
suspected all along that he was bestow-
ing his confidence and Kindness on one
who knew not how to appreciate Il
OF course, the poor seamstress was
not allowed to be any hindrance TO
these talks, and Mr- Lamont had q
fancy to overlook my sewing herself.
] suspected that her husband kept her
on faf shorter allowance Of pocket
uupey than Sue sxpeet4d when size